The Summer Issue of Whisky Advocate is on the newsstand and features 110 whisky reviews.

WhiskyFest New York: an outstanding success

by Lew Bryson

WhiskyFest New York, the oldest and best industry-wide whisky show, stepped up its game in 2012, going to an expanded format. There were two nights of open tasting, with 339 whiskies. The day of seminars featured truly rare whiskies, presented by the top people in the industry. People loved it; as one attendee put it, “WhiskyFest NYC is a whisky rock show!”

The new format, and especially the day of seminars, set the bar incredibly high for this year’s show. Would we be able to match last year’s whiskies, last year’s excitement?

The answer was a resounding YES! The tastings featured a new high for number of whiskies; over 375 different whiskies were poured each night (plus some very select other spirits and beers). There were thirty new exhibitors; whole tables full of new whiskies. Craft distillers were well-represented by over twenty exhibitors.

In all, it was the most exhibitors ever at a WhiskyFest, a great chance to sample whiskies with friends old and new, and learn things from master distillers that you didn’t even know that you didn’t know!